Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank my good friend Senator Ciccone for that question. Of course, this is an area where I have some expertise. The Albanese Labor government is committed to supporting free and fair trade. After all, one in four Australian jobs relates to trade. With this in mind, we've been hard at work to ensure that our world-class industries are best placed not just to weather the storm but to grow and succeed. We've been building stronger and deeper trading relationships across the globe. This approach is paying off. In the last financial year Australia's total trade reached a record $1.3 trillion. I'll repeat that for Senator Shoebridge. It reached a record $1.3 trillion. It didn't just happen. We've created new opportunities and built on existing relationships to deliver for Australian businesses and their employees.

Our most recent major achievement was the implementation of a trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates on 1 October last year. Last week, I returned from a trip to the UAE, where I led the largest ever delegation to showcase the best of our produce at the gulf export expo in Dubai with the former member of parliament Mr Christopher Pyne. The Australian pavilion was a beehive of activity, with buyers seeking to take advantage of purchasing the best food in the world at competitive prices thanks to our trade deal. Notably, our beef exports to the UAE have doubled. (Time expired)